He asked a multitude of questions concerning the route which the dæmon, as he called him, had pursued.
Letters, Letter 4 · Robert Walton
Context
After learning that Walton's crew saw another sledge the day before, Victor asks many questions about the route taken by the traveler, whom he refers to by a specific term.
Analysis
Victor calls the creature "the dæmon"—not "the monster" or even "it," but a word that combines the diabolic with the mythological. This name-choice does heavy ideological work: it casts the pursuit as a cosmic battle rather than a personal conflict, letting Victor frame himself as a righteous avenger instead of a negligent creator. The archaism also distances the creature from the human realm entirely.
Essay Tip
Support a thesis that Victor's language systematically denies the creature's humanity as a way of evading responsibility—calling his creation a "dæmon" rewrites their relationship from parent-and-child into hero-versus-evil, a narrative that erases Victor's role in the creature's suffering.